I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status

You have 2 options for filing your Form I-485 with USCIS:

• By mail (paper); or
• Online

USCIS is working on expanding online filing capability. which it hopes to make available over the coming months for other applicants. In the meantime, other applicants can only file their Form I-485s by mail.

Filing Your Form I-485 by Mail

Where you file your Form I-485 depends on your eligibility category. Go to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485 page to see where you should file your application.

If you file at a USCIS lockbox, you may not receive an A-Number on your Form I-797, Notice of Action, due to a change in our business process. In these cases, we will send your A-Number in a second notice a few days after we accept your Form I-485.

Filing Your Form I-485 Online

First create a USCIS online account, or log in if you already have an account. To learn more, visit our How to Create a USCIS Online Account page.

You can file Form I-485 online only if it is a stand-alone, employment-based application. This means you cannot submit it together with any other forms except:

• Form G-28 (if you are an attorney or accredited representative)
• Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record)
• Form I-485 Supplement A (Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i))

You cannot submit Form I-485 online with Supplement J at this time. If you already have a pending Form I-485 application with USCIS (with a receipt number that begins with IOE), you may file Supplement A or Supplement J online as a separate, stand-alone form.

All other Form I-485 applications must be filed by mail.

If you file Form I-485 online and are required to submit Form I-693 or a partial Form I-693 (such as the Vaccination Record), you must open the sealed envelope from the civil surgeon and upload the completed Form I-693 with your application package. You must keep the original Form I-693 and the envelope from the civil surgeon until we make a final decision on your Form I-485. We may review the original Form I-693 and envelope during an interview or ask you to submit the original Form I-693 and envelope as evidence to support your Form I-485.

In general, you may not file your Form I-485 until an immigrant visa is immediately available in your category. For information on the process of adjusting status as a permanent resident, and how to determine whether and when you are eligible to adjust status and file Form I-485, see our Visa Availability and Priority Dates and Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin pages. For exceptions to the visa availability requirement, please check the Form I-485 instructions for your specific immigrant category for additional information.

Save time by submitting all required initial evidence and supporting documentation at the same time you file Form I-485.

View the checklist of required initial evidence.

The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form. It does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. Submitting all required initial evidence and supporting documentation at the same time you file Form I-485 may eliminate the need for us to issue a Request for Evidence to get additional documentation and evidence. This may also help avoid adjudication delays if we decide that you do not need to be interviewed.

If you are required to submit Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, or a partial Form I-693 (such as the Vaccination Record), you must submit it with your Form I-485. Otherwise, we may reject your Form I-485.

If we reject an application package and return the application package with the Form I-693 envelope opened and you wish to file a new application package with the original opened Form I-693, you may do so. File the Form I-485 with the original opened Form I-693 and any supporting documentation that was previously included by the civil surgeon in its original envelope, along with a copy of the rejection notice.

Filing Tips: Review our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to ensure we will accept your form.

Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.

E-Notification: If you want to receive an e-mail or text message or both that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the first page of your form.

Afghan SIV

Effective July 20, 2022, we transitioned the responsibility to adjudicate Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) petitions filed by Afghans to the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Afghans who start the SIV application process on or after July 20, 2022, may seek classification as a special immigrant with DOS by filing Form DS-157 with the application for Chief of Mission approval. For more information, see instructions on the DOS website on Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans – Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government.

When filing Form I-485, you must supply evidence of an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, or a copy of the COM approval letter that also indicates approval of your Form DS-157.

INA 245(i)

If you are seeking to adjust status under the provisions of section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, see Supplement A for additional instructions. You can find the filing fee for the Supplement A by visiting our Fee Schedule page.

Filing I-485 Supplement J

If you are filing Form I-485 together with a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, that names you as the principal beneficiary, you do not need to file Supplement J.

However, you must file Supplement J if you are filing Form I-485 based on a previously filed Form I-140 or if you are requesting job portability to a new, permanent job offer under INA section 204(j). Visit our Form I-485, Supplement J page for specific instructions on when and how to file Supplement J.

Filing Form I-765 and Form I-131 with Form I-485

If you filed Form I-485 on or after July 30, 2007, and before April 1, 2024, and paid the required fee, you do not have to pay an additional fee to also file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, or Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records. However, if you file Form I-485 after April 1, 2024, you must pay additional fees to file Form I-765 and Form I-131, as listed on our Fee Schedule page. In either case, you may file these forms concurrently.

If you file Form I-131 concurrently with Form I-485 or while Form I-485 is pending and are requesting an advance parole document, select only item 5. A. in Part 1 of Form I-131. You do not need to provide a receipt number for your Form I-485 in the space provided for a receipt number if you are filing the Form I-131 concurrently with the Form I-485.

If you choose not to file Form I-765 and/or Form I-131 concurrently with your Form I-485, then you must submit a copy of your Form I-797C, Notice of Action, also known as your receipt, as evidence that you filed Form I-485 when you file Form I-765 and/or Form I-131.

Which Box to Check in Part 2 of Form I-485

Before filing a Form I-485 based on a family-sponsored or employment-based preference category, check our Visa Bulletin page to see if your priority date makes you eligible to apply.

If you are the principal applicant, check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 2., of Form I-485 and check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 3.a. through 3.g.

If you are the derivative spouse or child of the principal applicant, check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 2. and complete Principal Applicant information in Part 2. Item 2., of Form I-485 and check the appropriate box in Part 2, Item 3.a. through 3.g.

For more information on the Visa Bulletin or the charts, please go to our Visa Availability and Priority Dates page.

Premium Processing

If you are filing Form I-485 and Form I-140 together, refer to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, page.

If you are requesting premium processing for Form I-140, you must also file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service. Refer to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, page if you want to file Form I-485, Form I-140, and Form I-907 together. 

If you are filing Form I-485 based on a pending or approved Form I-140, go to our Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485 page to see where to file your application. 

Read the Employment-Based Preferences chart in the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin page to ensure your priority date is current before you file your application.

Afghan Parolees

If you are an Afghan parolee with an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as an Afghan employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, or an approved Form DS-157, Petition for Special Immigrant Classification for Afghan SIV Applicants, and you did not complete Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, we encourage you to file Form I-485 as soon as possible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident and get a Green Card if eligible.

If you are an Afghan parolee with an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as an Afghan employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or ISAF in Afghanistan, and you did not complete Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, at a safe haven, we encourage you to file Form I-485 as soon as possible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident and get a Green Card. You must provide a U.S. address to file Form I-485. If your address changes, you must notify us of your new address within 10 days by submitting Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card. The fastest way to submit your Form AR-11 is online. Special filing instructions apply to those filing Form I-485 in this category. You do not have to pay the filing or biometric services fees for Form I-485 if you were paroled into the United States due to the humanitarian crisis and are applying for adjustment as an Afghan Special Immigrant.

When filing Form I-485, include evidence of an approved Form I-360 petition or a copy of the Chief of Mission approval letter which also indicates approval of your Form DS-157 petition.

Review filing instructions at our Green Card for an Afghan Who Was Employed by or on Behalf of the U.S. Government page and see the instructions for Form I-485 for complete filing information.

Attorney or Representative

You may be represented, at no expense to the U.S. government, by an attorney or other authorized representative. Your representative must submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry or Appearance as Attorney or Representative, with your Form I-485. Your representative may also submit Form G-28 at the time of your interview.